UNIFIED REPORTING SYSTEM, VERSION 4 TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

http://urs.oardc.ohio-state.edu


1. First print out the P&T Report found on the main menu (lower purple bars). Examine this report to better understand the link between the input forms and the printed report.

2. You must be using a current web browser to properly view the new URS forms. This URS version supports Netscape Navigator Version 6 or 7 or Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 5, 5.5 or 6. Any later versions should also work. For Macintosh users, the recommended browser is Netscape 7 or later. Firefox will also work.

3. Verify that the Cache settings in the browser are correct for the URS. In Internet Explorer, click on TOOLS, INTERNET OPTIONS, Temporary Internet Files – SETTINGS, Check for newer versions of stored pages: Select “Every visit to the page”. In Netscape, Select Edit on the Main Menu, Then Preferences. Click the down triangle in front of Advanced. Select Cache. Click on “Every time I view the page”. Click OK to close.

4. Remembering password: Password HELP on log in screen (see URL above). Enter your e-mail address and your User Name and password will be sent to you at that e-mail address.

5. You can open two of your reports at the same time: By opening your browser twice, once with one URS year report, and the next copy with another year’s report, you can toggle back and forth between report years.

6. Copying and pasting into a word processing program: Use your word processor to create narratives, and copy and paste into the appropriate fields. This will also help in regards to SPELL CHECK. URS has no spell checker.

7. Dollar signs, etc. - Never use dollar signs, commas, or decimal points when entering numbers. Numeric fields are designed for integers only; Likewise, do not include alphabet characters in numeric fields.

8. TEAM REPORTING:

a. Communicate with your team!! Who will enter first; who will do final check of content?

b. If one person is on many teams (Extension Programs; Grants; and/or Academic Activity), she or he may not want to be the lead reporter for every team.

9. STATEWIDE TEAMS are visible to all URS users and are aimed at identifying those activities, in teaching, extension, and research that are part of a recognized team. These teams are normally focused on a single crop, commodity or concept. An activity may have more than one Statewide Team, or none.

10. PRIVATE KEYS are specific to the individual URS user, and are not visible to others. They are designed to provide an easy way to organize your activities in any manner that makes sense to you. Examples of private keys are crops or species names, the grant or other funding used, a graduate student’s activities, or a country. An activity may have more than one Private key, or none.

11. If all your publication citations include your name and report year, followed by a list of authors including yourself, then the original entry must be edited. Go back into Academic Activities and Add Authors for each author on that publication, using the new streamlined form, then edit the “Academic Citation” field and remove all authors in that box. Remember to Save your edited record. Example:

Notice in the above example, you can add Italics and Bold in your output if you include <i>Text to be Italicized</i> or <b>Text to be Bold</b> in your entry form.

12. Many Academic Activities have already been entered for you. Check to make sure a new publication is not already listed before you add it; it is a waste of effort and results in a duplication of citations.

13. If you did not create reports for 2000 or other previous years, but were a college employee during that time, please create reports for the missing years. Some publications for previous year’s reports have been entered and must be checked for accuracy.

14. Those entries that are already entered for you can not be deleted or edited. If you find errors in them, please use the Correction Form listed next to the citation to send an updated version of the citation to the system administrator. The changes will then be reviewed and made in a timely manner.

15. Understanding the results of deleting a person or a program: For Academic Activities and Grants -
        a. Only the person who originally entered the citation or grant is allowed to delete the entire record. If you delete a record, the information for all authors or investigators will be deleted.
        b. If the “Delete” button is grayed out, then someone else entered the record and you cannot delete it.
        c. The person who created the record cannot delete himself/ herself from the entry (otherwise there is no one who can delete the record later).
        d. If you are listed on a record that someone else created, you should talk to them about the duplicate entries.
        e. You can remove yourself from the record by deleting yourself. Do this by checking the “Remove” checkbox while editing the record. Once you SAVE the changes, you will be removed. Keep in mind that once you are removed, you no longer can see or access that record. The record will remain as a listing for the other author(s) or investigator(s).

16. Understanding the results of deleting a person or a program: For Extension Programs –
        a. Only the person who originally entered the program is allowed to delete the entire program. If you delete a program, the information for all educators and all locations will be deleted.
        b. If the Trash Can has a red circle with a line through it, then someone else created the program and you cannot delete it.
        c. The person who created the program cannot delete himself/ herself from the program (otherwise there is no one who can delete the program later).
        d. If you are listed on a program that someone else created, you should talk to them about the duplicate program entries.
        e. You can remove yourself from the program by deleting yourself (the Trash Can is visible by your name after you click the Team Member button). Doing this will remove any data that you entered, while keeping the data for the other Team Member(s).